Blues Laureate: The RCA Years

Performer: Percy Mayfield
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Liner Note Author: John Dowler. Percy Mayfield's tenure at RCA in the early 1970s is often unfairly overlooked in favor of his '60s work for Tangerine and other labels, but the compilation BLUES LAUREATE, thankfully, seeks to correct that error. Mayfield's inimitable way with a phrase, pouring the soul of a sensitive crooner through the gutsy style of a blues vocalist, is evident everywhere here, as is his excellent songwriting and well-crafted, expressive lyrics. BLUES LAUREATE is a great place to get introduced to a fine chapter in the career of this R&B icon.

Often called the Poet of the Blues, Mayfield was as adept with urbane plaints as he was with rowdy R&B numbers. Perhaps more successful as a songwriter, he scored big in 1950 with the classically understated "Please Send Me Someone to Love." His legendary groover, "Hit the Road Jack," is one of Ray Charles's most famous songs ever and was the product of a mutually fruitful relationship during the '60s, as Charles released of number of Mayfield's own solo recordings on his Tangerine label. Mayfield performed into the '70s and '80s; however, life-long battles with the bottle led to a fatal 1984 heart-attack.

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